Henry McLeish cranks up pressure on Ross County to vote in favour of reconstruction proposals

The pressure on Roy MacGregor of Ross County to vote for Scottish league
reconstruction on Monday has been ratcheted up yet again by an open letter
from Scotland’s former First Minister, Henry McLeish, appealing for
“bravery” amongst the dozen chairmen who will gather at Hampden Park.

Red-letter day: Henry McLeish wrote an open letter urging clubs to vote in favour of reconstructionPhoto: PA

The proposals for a unified league, combining the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League in a 12-12-18 structure, needs 11 votes to go through, but with St Mirren’s Stewart Gilmour having already said that he will oppose the plan, the spotlight has fallen upon McGregor, who has admitted doubts about the reconstruction.

MacGregor’s caveats particularly concern proposed changes to distribution of cash and supporters of the Dingwall club have also declared their opposition to the plan.

Last week Stephen Thompson, the Dundee United chairman, and Stewart Milne of Aberdeen called for the vote to be carried on Monday and they were joined at the weekend by Peter Lawwell, when the Celtic chief executive described Ross County as the “new kids on the block” and said that he would phone MacGregor to try to convince the Staggies’ chairman to say yes to the proposals.

MacGregor, though, is said to be unhappy at the attempts to cajole him into agreement. However, the 12 clubs will debate the issue once more before the vote is taken and the proponents maintain hope that MacGregor can be talked round at the last minute, if necessary.

McLeish – who was commissioned by the Scottish Fotoball Association to conduct a root and branch review of the state of the game north of the border – had now turned the screws on McGregor with a lengthy open letter, which begins: “Football faces an historic opportunity to create a new era in club development. At a time of growing challenges, acute financial problems, a fragile fan base and a deepening sense of frustration and pessimism there is a real expectation that radical change is urgently needed.

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“This is a time when the greater good of the game and its importance to Scotland is truly recognised and where self interest has to be carefully balanced against a backdrop of regression.

“We have approached the moment of reckoning for Scottish football. The time calls for bravery, cool heads and consideration beyond the historic self-interest that has left Scottish game trailing behind the more progressive European countries both domestically and in the international arena.

“There has been a fixation with the size of top division, which, while understandable, has skewed the debate and undermined the real need for change. Since the divisive breakaway of the top-10 clubs in 1998, Scottish football's league structure has been riven by mistrust.

“This week provides the chance to reunite football's broken family for the common good; a chance to put past differences aside in order to take the game forward collectively and collaboratively. A single league body is simply essential for a country as small as Scotland. Bureaucracy and endless wrangling often inhibit positive thought and innovation.

“Nobody needs reminding of the harsh economic climate in Scotland. Football has been a high-profile casualty, as we have seen with the recent financial troubles that have afflicted Rangers - one of the country's great institutions - Dunfermline Athletic and, to a lesser degree, Heart of Midlothian.

“Greater financial distribution is the umbilical cord of this embryonic new model. The status quo is simply incomprehensible: routine elimination from European competition at the preliminary stage - with, of course, the honourable exception of Celtic - an audience gripped by little more than apathy, a national side propping up its World Cup qualifying group and sliding down the rankings at an alarming rate. The evidence of the need for radical change is so obvious and compelling.

“The introduction of play-offs would invigorate the season, adding some much-needed drama to a league that, bluntly, will be competitive in name only until Rangers return to the top division. Above all, football exists to entertain.

“One of the key recommendations in the Review of Scottish Football was the need for a pyramid at the base of the senior game. For too long, clubs in the third division enjoyed the safety of no relegation to non-league football. Not only is it a glaring competitive omission but a prohibitive measure to clubs with aspirations to join and thrive in senior football.

“The ultimate size of the top division, as has been said before, is simply the vehicle for change. The principles of restructuring will safeguard the game at a time of grim uncertainty and provide a platform for further improvement in the medium term. There is no ideal or perfect solution to any problem in football or in life. But what we have to do is to reflect on aspirations and ambitions, acknowledge the acute financial difficulties and decide on a practical, balanced and workable way forward.

“We have all had our say. This week it is football's choice to face the future. I urge all members to vote for a future that is bright, vibrant, exciting and entertaining. The alternative is a future not worth contemplating.”

Elsewhere at the weekend, the Rangers board moved – as revealed by Telegraph Sport – to limit the damage inflicted by comments made by the Ibrox chief executive, Charles Green, widely regarded as racist, and also by allegations made by former owner, Craig Whyte, to the effect that he and Green had acted together in the acquisition of the club by its current owners, Sevco.

An independent review – in which Green will have no say – will examine his conduct and that of Imran Ahmad, Rangers’ commercial director. A statement issued by Rangers said that “the object of this exercise is to clarify the situation to the satisfaction of shareholders, supporters, staff and Board members.”

Green’s fellow directors also accepted his apology for saying that he sometimes greeted Ahmad with the words “my little P--- friend” and that he had intended no offence but had misjudged the impact of his terminology.